| abstract |
Polyolefin lubricant base oils can be surprisingly gelled by layer and chain type overtreated higher dialkyl dimethyl ammonium clays preferably containing a minimum of 12% excess of the quaternary ion moiety over their ion exchange capacity. For example, an overtreated dihydrogenated ditallow ammonium montmorillonite containing a 22% excess of the quaternary ion can be used to prepare a polydecene based grease although it does not gel mineral oil lubricants. In contrast, the known clay analog of equivalent treatment gels the mineral oil but not the synthetic polyolefin lubricant under comparable conditions. |